mineral

Banded Agate (Tumbled)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) - Microcrystalline Quartz

Hardness: 6.5-7 on Mohs scale; Color: Translucent to opaque with blue, white, and brownish banding; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Crystal System: Trigonal (microcrystalline); Cleavage: None, exhibits conchoidal fracture.

Hardness: 6
Color: Translucent to opaque with blue, white, and brownish banding
Luster: Vitreous to waxy

Identified July 27, 2026More mineral →

Explore Banded Agate (Tumbled) in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms in volcanic rocks or metamorphic environments when silica-rich fluids fill cavities (geodes or vesicles) and deposit microcrystalline quartz layer by layer over time.

Uses & applications

Commonly used in lapidary arts, jewelry, wire-wrapping, ornamental carvings, polished stones for display, and decorative craft items.

Geological facts

Agate is a variety of chalcedony characterized by its fine grain and brightness of color. Distinctive color bands form as secondary deposits inside gas bubbles in cooling magma.

Field identification & locations

Look for distinct color banding, waxy to vitreous luster, and high hardness (scratches glass). Widely found globally in basaltic lava cavities in places like Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar, and the Lake Superior region.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Soil with Mineral Detritus and Quartz Fragments

Regolith / Silicate Mineral Aggregate

sedimentary

Limonite / Goethite (Iron Ore Mineral nodule)

FeO(OH)·nH2O / FeO(OH)

mineral

Schist

Metamorphic

Septarian Pebble

Septarian nodule / Concretion

sedimentary

Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)

Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)

mineral